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ShareAug. 28, 2006 — People in Switzerland have positive attitudes toward a new environmentally friendly toilet that could substantially reduce pollution problems and conserve water and energy, scientists report in a study scheduled for the Aug. 15 issue of ACS' Environmental Science & Technology.
Called the NoMix toilet, the device collects urine separately. Although urine represents only 1 per cent of domestic wastewater, it typically contains 80 percent of the nitrogen and 50 percent of the phosphorus in sewage.
Separating urine, the researchers explain, will allow changes to make wastewater treatment more environmentally friendly.
Judit Lienert and Tove A. Larsen checked public attitudes toward NoMix toilets in surveys done at a Swiss school and a Swiss research institute. They found high acceptance of the toilet, with large majorities of people expressing favorable attitudes toward the toilet. That was true even though one version of the device requires men to sit to urinate.
The researchers cite the importance of involving users in the introduction of new environmental technology, especially technology that requires the kind of behavioral changes essential with NoMix toilets.
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